The North Star
by yuneame
Summary: When both are a little lost on the dark road of life, they light each other's way...A small tale of misunderstood packages and odd fate...For it takes a good ninja to catch whispered words, but a better one to understand the unspoken.


Nowadays, Kakashi opted for a nice nap on a tree branch on no mission days, which were often. The kids have grown up, and left behind was the old sensei, detached from the world. In a way, he resented them for neglecting the team, for crushing his social life. That was his fault though. Not to blame on the children.

_Children..._ Kakashi let out a heavy sigh, feeling tired and lazy, feeling late and sorry and elderly. Napping evaded him, as the setting sun lit a blend of colors to the sky: blue, orange, magenta, pink, and violet...

A cool breeze rustled through the trees, smelling of barbecue and celebrations. And maybe of gatherings with declined invites. He suppressed a maudlin groan as the streetlights in Konoha flickered on.

_Well...maybe I'll grab a drink from Akahana's,_ the silver haired ninja mused, reinforcing his dislike for alcohol. The pub, however, would offer a welcomed distraction from his lame self-pity party.

With a fluid movement and a pump of chakra to soften his landing, Kakashi headed off away from his perch for the first time in hours.

vvvvvv

Loud rumbles of laughter reverberated in the small seating area. It didn't take long for an acquaintance to notice him (his hair).

"Yo, Hatake!" A navy sleeved arm waved enthusiastically over the sea of tables. Kakashi slowly made his way over, squashing the little inkling of regret building in his chest.

Genma grinned mischievously and lowered his arm. Around him sat Iruka, Kotetsu and Izumo, all wearing uncomfortable expressions from their tablemate's gusto. Kakashi gave the smallest of shrugs and decided the company was good enough. He pulled a chair.

"Yo." He greeted simply.

Genma swirled the ice in his drink. "So...what brings you here, your grand stoicness?"

Kakashi smiled to hide the twitching of his visible eye. Iruka cleared his throat apprehensively.

"I never thought you were much of a drinker either, sensei?"

"Hm. Changing things up a bit, I guess. And...you?" _Inadequate conversation skills, check, _his mind supplied dismally.

"We come here every night." Kotetsu spoke up. "Break from work."

"Break from life." Izumo added, sounding glum.

The copy nin nodded his head ever so slightly. _What am I doing here again? To make new friends? ...Right. Friends. _He winced and ordered a glass of water. It was going to be a long night.

WWWWW

She stared blankly at the telephone pad and refused to blink until the numbers began winking at her. Sakura let out a fart and a sigh simultaneously. Back then on a usual night, she would have flushed a lively shade of pink and looked around furtively for the sign of a passing ninja.

Now, she didn't even know what "the usual" was anymore.

Everyday was the same bore, and though she loved her work, sometimes a bit of her ached to return to the thrilling mission days with team 7. The medic huffed and inspected her reflection from an empty glass. The weariness in her features seemed to be beyond her years.

Oh, of course, she remembered the times with Ino in the academy, when makeup was just as important as any new jutsu. She wondered how she stopped caring about the little pleasures in life. In a way, she was doing her job, more preoccupied with the lives of strangers than her own.

Struck by an unwelcomed revelation, the kunoichi slapped a palm to her forehead. Sakura Haruno had become unsociable and dull.

In fact, she was letting the dreariness overrun her fun. Most of the time, the peak of excitement in her day was taking a hot shower after a tedious shift. The hospital plagued her mind; she swore there was a night she woke up screaming from a dream about defective medical equipment.

_What a drag..._Inner Sakura droned. Her alternate ego stirred listlessly in the corner of her brain.

Quietly, she agreed.

WWWWW

"Don't chu hava...girlfriend or somethin'...?" Genma drawled, banging a loose fist on the table. A passing waitress glanced at the drunk man uneasily. "Kakashi...Hatake! Why'd chu come here? I know you've got a...hidden mo'ive er somethin'..."

_Leave now? Or watch him make a fool out of himself..._The masked jounin had first pulled out his book to read an hour ago (he couldn't resist), and made no move to discontinue.

"Is da famous Copy-nin lonely? Sentimental? Wan' chur students back?" Genma continued, oblivious to his disinterest. Everyone else had headed home for a good night's rest. _...Leaving it is. _Stretching his arms, Kakashi snapped his novel shut and stood up.

"Hey...hey! Where you goin'-" But he was gone in a poof of smoke.

WWWWW

"Oh!"

"Oh."

A breeze wove through the trees and the forest sighed contently. Sakura watched her sensei rub the back of his head sheepishly. He dropped from the branch and landed without a sound.

"Well. Morning, Kakashi-sensei." She blurted awkwardly.

"Ah...good morning to you, too, Sakura."

She twiddled her sandaled feet in the grass. They both stood under the shade of the tree before the kunoichi spoke.

"Was that where you were?"

"Hm?"

"You know, where you were instead of being on time." She narrowed her eyes and studied the tree canopy. After a moment of thinking, however, her expression softened. "Seems nice though."

"I always have my reasons for being late." Kakashi assured her pleasantly. Sakura grumbled something inaudible.

"I guess I'll be going then, sensei. Work to do, groceries to buy..." The pink haired medic trailed off, eyeing the tree branch once again. "...and stuff. But you can, um, enjoy your break."

He straightened up, a small smile tugging the corners of his mouth. "Nah. I've got some stuff to take care of, too."

Sakura smiled and quickened her pace to match Kakashi's lengthy strides. The tiny frown cinching her brows un-knit itself, and she breathed in the fresh morning air with a sense of satisfaction.

Surprisingly, walking with her old mentor brought a wave of warm nostalgia and security that she hadn't felt in a long time.

And though it did make her feel a bit like a child, it wasn't much of a bad feeling at all.


End file.
